Finnish President Alexander Stubb says he exchanges messages with Prime Minister Mark Carney almost every day.

“We’re tight,” Stubb said with a smile.

Now, Stubb and Carney have the opportunity to talk in person.

Stubb is in Ottawa for his first official bilateral meetings with Canada’s prime minister. The pair are working to develop trade and defence ties, according to Carney’s office.

“I think Finns and Canadians are quite similar,” he said. “We’re cool, calm and collected except in the ice hockey rink. And then when the going gets tough, we go to the sauna and take an ice bath and calm down.”